A safe route to Europe, but don’t expect much sleep in this business class

The airline: Turkish Airlines

• Route Istanbul to Sydney via Kuala Lumpur, flight TK174
• Frequency Daily
• Aircraft Airbus A350-900
• Class Business; seat 2A, aisle
• Flight time 20 hours 15 minutes, including the Malaysia pit stop (we’re on time the whole way, until strong winds bring us into Sydney 75 minutes late)

Checking in

After a week of taxi ripoffs in Istanbul, I dare not tell my driver my destination is Turkish Airlines’ business class priority entrance. Fortunately, it’s a quick stroll from the economy zone to the fast lane to zip through. In the lounge, I grab one of the only spare seats – awkwardly joining a family group. Some table seating opens up and I race over.

Baggage

Bring up to 40 kilograms of total checked baggage (50 kilograms on BusinessPrime fares), plus 20 kilograms for Star Alliance Gold members (maximum 32 kilograms per item). Cabin baggage is 20 kilograms, split as two bags up to eight kilograms each plus a four-kilogram personal item (baby care bag, camera, tablet or laptop).

Loyalty scheme

Miles&Smiles, Star Alliance. Booking Turkish Airlines reward flights is also straightforward via partners like Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, through which I redeem 132,000 points plus about $US500 ($756) for today’s trip.

The seat

There’s direct aisle access for every passenger, but despite 44 inches (111 cm) of pitch and 20 inches (50.8 cm) of cushion width, it feels tight. In bed mode, my size 11 feet don’t fare well in the footwell. The even-numbered window seats provide greater distance from the aisle (I’m in 2A), albeit with the seat’s shell significantly obstructing the views in these rows. A PIN-lockable side closet thoughtfully guards valuables. But nighttime announcements at every spurt of turbulence, plus the stop halfway, leave me with just four hours of sleep. Pyjamas? BYO.

Entertainment + tech

The 18-inch HD screen carries a respectable content selection including live TV, but the Tom Hanks film Inferno – filmed in Istanbul – draws me in. There’s one AC/USB-A outlet and 1GB of Wi-Fi data for business class passengers. But use your browsing time wisely: the data limit doesn’t reset for the second sector.

Service

Unremarkable, and quite slow. I finish that two-hour movie before the appetiser comes. Of three premium lavatories, economy passengers monopolise two as crew leave dividing curtains open. A requested hot drink takes more than 40 minutes to arrive. But one crew member makes an appreciated effort, gracefully procuring salep, an off-menu favourite.

Food

A refreshing lemon-mint juice greets, and warmed nuts with Champagne (Gosset Grand Reserve) arrive once airborne. After a samsa and a skewer, a uniformed chef delivers “the oldest bread” – not stale; sourced from Anatolia, the region home to the world’s oldest-known settlement … but bread all the same. The palate then sails to the sea for prawns and cured salmon before returning to land for lamb chops then baklava. I indulge in Turkish delight and a latte before the transit stop, and a fruit plate with yoghurt plus an omelette for breakfast. Dinner is laughably lacklustre: a paper-clad chicken wrap sits aside a vanilla slice. Did the chef sleep in? This final meal is airport takeaway fare at best.

Sustainability

Carbon offsets allow travellers to pay what they can afford – even if it’s not full coverage – or, to make a greater contribution. Turkish Airlines also purchases full carbon offsets for all staff “duty travel” flights.*

One more thing

The airline has longer-term plans to fly non-stop between Australia and Turkey but is yet to tease a starting date. While its direct Sydney flights stop in Kuala Lumpur, its direct Melbourne route goes via Singapore (in aviation, “direct” does not mean “non-stop”). It is currently operating its Australian flights per its normal schedule, avoiding Iranian airspace and flying over the ’Stan countries instead. Connections to Europe are unaffected.

The price

Fly business class from about $8900 return from Sydney.**

The verdict

On a 20-hour journey, sleep trumps all else. Until that gets easier – both with a better seat, and a non-stop service for a solid snooze – I won’t race to book Turkish Airlines again. This is, after all, the same seat that Singapore Airlines offers in “medium-haul” cabins on flights like Perth-Singapore. There’s work to be done before this airline can be favourably compared to the top-tier carriers.

Our rating out of five

★★★

The writer flew at his own expense.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.